Throughout my 15+ year career as a Massage Therapist, I have worked with all kinds of people with many different ailments/conditions. Almost everyone that comes to see me is in some kind of pain.

I’ve worked on athletes with injuries, individuals with sedentary jobs and repetitive use injuries, Migraine and Headache sufferers, and others with Fibromyalgia and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

If you aren’t familiar with (FMS) Fibromyalgia or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), consider yourself lucky. These two illnesses can, and usually are, quite debilitating.

I’ve always sought after answers as to what causes a condition, how it can be helped, and what all is involved. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue have been a real mystery to me for quite some time, and recently…I connected with someone who has personal experience with both the illness and recovery from FMS and CFS.

I’ve invited my new friend Dan Neuffer, Author of the book “Unravelled” to write a guest blog post to share his story.

Thank you Dan for your dedication in helping others see a light at the end of the tunnel, and also for contributing to my blog. I appreciate your willingness to share your story!

~Amy

Reasons For Hope For Fibromyalgia & ME/CFS Recovery

Perhaps only someone who really experienced this illness understands what it is like. There are a million things to say to people suffering with ME/CFS/FMS or MCS and EHS. So many letters, but none really encapsulated the nightmare experience of these syndromes.

The list of symptoms is nothing short of ridiculous, but at the top of the list are probably fatigue and pain and cognitive disturbance. Even after all these years, I still find it hard to talk about the depth of the suffering I experienced during my 6-7 year experience with this terrible illness. Showing people who have the illness understanding and not trivialising their experience by comparing it to your own ‘normal’ fatigue, is an important way of supporting them.

But in the end, it isn’t really just words of comfort that we are looking for; it is a better and painless future. We just want to get our health back!

I won’t share my story in this post, except to say that I know what it is like to lose hope. It was only some time after I had totally given up on recovery that my extraordinary journey began.

I am not a medical doctor. I am not a medical researcher. But my training as a physicist has given me a strong sense of logic and research skills and I used these to finally find answers to where there had always been nothing but questions. The sad thing is that because the solution isn’t simple, the information is not being spread easily. I only learned this after I published my book as I was contacted by people from around the world and learned that much of what I discovered has actually been around for many decades. But the voices of many doctors and both academic and private researchers has been muffled by the noise of information about this illness that is often not very helpful.

My focus hasn’t been on sharing exactly what I did to recover from ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia after 6 years of illness. Instead, it is about sharing an understanding of how the illness works so that others can find their path to good health rather than stumbling and suffering needlessly for many more years. What people need is to be equipped with the knowledge so that they can tailor their own recovery plan.

And of course, we are not talking about some magic pill that makes it all go away – that doesn’t exist. But also, we are not talking about treating everything and then thinking it will all be good. It’s about getting to the heart of the problem! I have spent the last years since I recovered writing a book that shares my understanding of a hypothesis of what causes the illness. My motto is: Treat the cause and not just the consequences! That’s how I recovered and how everyone I have met or read about has recovered.

We always want simple answers, but unfortunately, sometimes, complex problems have complex answers. That doesn’t have to mean that it is all too hard. The first step in gaining knowledge, and sometimes that can take a little while. We have to hear it a few times and consider things, especially when we are experiencing brain fog!

One key resource on my site is the VIDEO EXPLANATION. This is a short course consisting of 3 videos that explain the root mechanism driving the illness, how and why people get the illness in so many different ways and why there are multiple paths to recovery. In it I also share 5 Key Elements for a successful recovery. You can access these by subscribing to my blog updates on my site : http://cfsunravelled.com/

I am passionate about supporting others to follow in my footsteps. Many people have recovered from this terrible illness, but I never knew anyone whilst I was sick. That is why I also share recovery stories on my site here : http://cfsunravelled.com/cfs-fibro-recovery-stories/ If you or someone you know has recovered, please contact me to help inspire others do what sometimes feels like the impossible.

There is much reason for hope for recovery from this illness. Whilst I had given up and still managed to recover once I understood how, my 6-7 year experience is dwarfed by many other people that I have met who recovered. I have met people who recovered from the MOST SEVERE cases that sound nothing short of a horror story (it appears that no matter how badly we suffer, there is always someone who had it worse!). People who have been ill for 10 and even 20+ years, sometimes their whole adult lives! Yet they recovered!

Comments

Hello! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me
of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
Thank you for sharing!

Specialized Bodywork

Amy is extremely motivated and passionate in helping her clients achieve the best outcome. With ongoing continued education and knowledge obtained from some of the leading experts in the Massage, Bodywork, and Movement industry...Amy's clients will be sure to receive a thorough assessment and treatment plan to address the body as a whole. In Mind, Body and Spirit.

I assure you that you are in good hands

I was a washed up fifty two year old pitcher still trying to make it in the big leagues, and as predicted three weeks into the baseball season my arm was hanging off my shoulder. As I was pondering my third retirement speech I remembered a project one of my student’s did on a massage View Full →

Larry Abed

2015-01-14T21:18:59+00:00

Larry Abed

I was a washed up fifty two year old pitcher still trying to make it in the big leagues, and as predicted three weeks into the baseball season my arm was hanging off my shoulder. As I was pondering my third retirement speech I remembered a project one of my student’s did on a massage View Full →

Her skills and Practice are a great asset

My wife and I have enjoyed massages for many years and in different venues in the U.S., overseas, and on-the-seas, so we have acquired a lot of experience in judging the skills of massage givers, male and female. It is very gratifying to be able to report that five years ago we met Amy soon View Full →

Tom and Betty Graffis

2015-01-14T21:23:25+00:00

Tom and Betty Graffis

My wife and I have enjoyed massages for many years and in different venues in the U.S., overseas, and on-the-seas, so we have acquired a lot of experience in judging the skills of massage givers, male and female. It is very gratifying to be able to report that five years ago we met Amy soon View Full →

http://massagefitbyamybuckles.com/testimonials/you-go-girl/

I recommend Amy for any type of massage…

I recommend Amy for any type of massage, essential oils, and her wonderful biomat! She is a very talented massage therapist who will work diligently to solve your soft tissue pain and dysfunction.

Heather Arlinghaus, PT

2015-01-14T21:30:47+00:00

Heather Arlinghaus, PT

I recommend Amy for any type of massage, essential oils, and her wonderful biomat! She is a very talented massage therapist who will work diligently to solve your soft tissue pain and dysfunction.

After weeks of frustration, luckily, I had the pleasure to work with Amy

“As a competitive athlete over the last 20 years including 2x Ironman finishes (140.6) I have had my share of injuries and have battered my body along the way. After a huge race season in 2013; including two half Ironman distance triathlons (70.3) my body had taken a beating and I was badly injured and View Full →

Douglas Trumpey

2015-01-14T21:31:36+00:00

Douglas Trumpey

“As a competitive athlete over the last 20 years including 2x Ironman finishes (140.6) I have had my share of injuries and have battered my body along the way. After a huge race season in 2013; including two half Ironman distance triathlons (70.3) my body had taken a beating and I was badly injured and View Full →

She is extremely personable and professional!

Amy came recommended to our Firm from another massage therapist and we couldn’t be happier! She listens to each employee and addresses their specific points of tension. She is extremely personable and professional! On a personal note, Amy went above and beyond to research a personal issue for me and make sure that everything I View Full →

Amy Urbanski, MBA, PHR

2015-01-14T21:32:41+00:00

Amy Urbanski, MBA, PHR

Amy came recommended to our Firm from another massage therapist and we couldn’t be happier! She listens to each employee and addresses their specific points of tension. She is extremely personable and professional! On a personal note, Amy went above and beyond to research a personal issue for me and make sure that everything I View Full →

BEST MEDICAL MASSAGE THERAPIST in Indianapolis

Amy is one in a million at delivering effective medical massage in a delicate manner. The results I received after one session led me to consider Amy Buckles the BEST MEDICAL MASSAGE THERAPIST in Indianapolis. I do not say this lightly as there are several decent massage therapists available in Indy. Amy is set apart View Full →

Virginia Biasizzo, NDTP

2015-01-14T21:33:43+00:00

Virginia Biasizzo, NDTP

Amy is one in a million at delivering effective medical massage in a delicate manner. The results I received after one session led me to consider Amy Buckles the BEST MEDICAL MASSAGE THERAPIST in Indianapolis. I do not say this lightly as there are several decent massage therapists available in Indy. Amy is set apart View Full →

She is also great with kids

I have been seeing Amy for the past couple years for massage therapy. Sitting in front of a computer all day leaves me with a stiff neck and often a sore back. Amy has been amazing, helping me relieve pain, tension and stress. She really knows her work and does a great job! I’d see View Full →

Krissa Hatfield

2015-01-14T21:34:42+00:00

Krissa Hatfield

I have been seeing Amy for the past couple years for massage therapy. Sitting in front of a computer all day leaves me with a stiff neck and often a sore back. Amy has been amazing, helping me relieve pain, tension and stress. She really knows her work and does a great job! I’d see View Full →